Device for holding and locking a plurality of printing types



Dec. 18, 1962 c. E. SPECKER 3,063,790

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND LOCKING A PLURALITY 0F PRINTING TYPES Filed March 2, 1960 IO c N IO INVENTOR (Aer/e Emi/ 5 2 c Her 3,068,790 DEVHCE FUR HQLDING AND LGCKING A PLURALITY (2F PRINTING TYPES Charles Emil Speaker, Schlossliweg 5, Zurich, Switzerland Filed Mar. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 12,389 5 Claims. (Cl. 101-394) The present invention relates to a device for holding together and locking printing type and, more particularly, to a galley lock for locking such printing type in composition form.

According to conventional practice the set-up type (lines or individual letters) have been slipped from the composing galley to the printing plate of a proofing press for the purpose of producing proofsheets. To accomplish this, the matter has to be bound by a page string, i.e. held together so that it will not fall apart. This time-consuming manual work or tying up, which equires considerable practice, is also required if matter is to be made up after printing and placed, entirely or in portions, on galleys, imposing surfaces or form plates for storage.

Special composing galleys have become known in the art, which are equipped with a comparatively costly mechanical device, forcing the matter to the side walls of the composing galley in two directions, by means of mechanical pressure so that tying up of the matter may be dispensed with and that proofs may be pulled in to the proofing press while the type is located on the composing galley. However, for storing, the matter, particularly for storing individual portions, the latter still must be tied up.

a The device described above is, consequently, still too costly for its particular purpose in order to be employed more widely in smaller printing shops, also.

It is, consequently, an object of the present invention to facilitate the holding together and locking of printing type in composition form.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of means for reliably holding together and locking printing matter which are of simple construction and which, consequently, require only small investments.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of permanent magnet means of a construction and configuration particularly suitable to the holding and locking of printing type forms and groups of printing types on a base plate or galley.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide permanent magnetic locking means for holding printing forms on a galley and including bar or stick members providing for a magnetic flow transversely with respect to their extension when arranged on said galley.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of galley lock means for magnetically holding and locking printing type or matter on a base plate or galley when arranged in a selected form, in a simple yet reliable manner.

These and other objects of the present invention will become better apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows stick-shaped permanent magnetic locking means for holding printing type on a galley or base in accordance with the invention,

FIG. la is a cross-section along line la-Ia in FIG. 2 and showing an application of the locking means according to the invention to a type galley,

FIG. 2 is a composing galley with the printing matter locked by means of permanent magnetic sticks of the type shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows letterpress matter on a suitable iron base, such as an imposing surface, machine bed, form Bfibdfiihll Patented Dec. 18, 1962 plate, etc., enclosed by retaining bars and held upon the base by means of permanent magnetic sticks.

Generally, it will be seen that the present invention provides for the matter to be enclosed by retaining bars on an iron base and locked by means of permanent magnetic sticks. A combination of an iron base or support of other ferromagnetic material, matter retaining bars and permanent magnetic locking sticks is employed as a means to hold the matter together and in a predetermined position on the base.

Every matter has associated therewith sticks formed of lead or type metal or even a light alloy which are standardized in respect to length and thickness and are designed to enclose the matter. Permanent magnets can hold these retaining sticks in position. These sticks may, however, also be designed as permanent magnet bars and be provided, depending upon their length, with one or several permanent magnets. Their length is advantageously standardized for one or several column widths.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, it will be seen that the permanent magnetic locking means shown in FIG. 1 possesses the shape of a standardized retaining bar. Permanent magnetic portion 1 is shown to be centrally extending and embedded between two soft-iron plates 2.

Permanent magnetic portion 1 is of substantially quadratic uniform cross-section and consequently the side faces 1a thereof are parallel to each other. It is to be noted that the side faces 1a present even surfaces which may be obtained by a grinding or like machining operation. The polarity of portion 1 is not as in conventional magnets of this shape in longitudinal extension thereof but transversely to the longitudinal axis, in that it is magnetized in the direction of arrows SN perpendicular to the side faces 1a. Consequently, opposed polarities will be set up in the rectangular soft-iron plates 2, which with their inner side faces 2:: are in intimate contact with the side faces la of portion 1. This intimate contact may be established or maintained by bolts 29 extending through transverse bores 1c in portion 1 and secured to plates 2 by riveting as indicated at 21. At the same time bolts 2ft prevent any sliding displacement between plates 2 and portion 1, so as to hold the latter in a predetermined relation with respect to portion 1. As will be seen more clearly from FIG. 1a, the height of the plates 2 corresponds to the height of the lead 3a which is lower than the height of the type 3b. On the lower or base surface 1b of portion 1 the soft-iron plates 2 project beyond the magnet by a predetermined amount, e.g. about 1 /2 or 2 so as to space surface 1b from base plate 9.

It will be understood that with the arrangement of the soft-iron plates 2 relative to the magnetic portion 1 described a horse-shoe-type cross-section will be formed in the stick, the projecting portions of the soft-iron plates constituting the legs thereof. Consequently, when the stick is placed onto the base plate 9, the latter being formed of iron or other ferromagnetic material, a mag netic circuit between the legs of the soft-iron plates 2 will be closed over the base plate over the full longitudinal extension of the soft-iron plates. Consequently, the stick will be attracted or held to the base plate with great force and it will also resist a lateral displacement or turning movement on the base plate. Thus the stick will form a stop member preventing displacement of the ledge member or bar 6 holding or enclosing the type 3.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the material of the permanent magnetic portion 1 may be of any suitable magnetizeable type, such as a ferromagnetic alloy or a sintered material of ferromagnetic properties.

drawal of the stick from the iron support by means of an auin'liary magnet.

Vertical removal of a permanent magnet from the iron base requires considerable eiTort and may cause the matter to be displaced and mixed up when it is suddenly released. The magnets must therefore be slipped to the edge of the iron base so that they can be removed therefrom Without effort. This is notal- Ways possible and it is therefore, avoided. in order to do so, a second magnet of the same size is providedi It enables the magnets resting on the iron base to be withdrawn without difficulty if the second magnet is applied to the first one so that corresponding poles are in register. This breaks the magnetic field and the magnet resting on the support can easily be lifted off. Subsequently, the two magnets can be separated by grasping and laterally turning them relatively to one another by about 90.

In the composing galley 3 (FIG. 2) the matter rests against the two raised marginal side walls-4 and 4a.

The matter 3 is held together by means of retaining "sticks 6 and 7 and kept in position by means of magnets 8, which engage the galley sides and hold themselves in place on the base plate. is small, one magnet on each side will sutfice.

, FIG. 3 shows the matter on a plate 9 without raised edges, by way of example an imposing surface, a machine table or a form plate covered with sheet iron;

The matter is held together by'retaining sticks 10, each of the sticks having a magnet 8 associated there'- with.

Various changes and modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is'intended that such obvious changes andimodifications be embraced by the annexed claims. Having thus described'the invention, what is claimed as new and'desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: l. A device for holding and'locking' a plurality of printing types, comprising a base plate having ferromagnetic properties for supporting said printing types,

a plurality of sidewall means arranged on said base plate; at least one of said side wall means beingfreely movable thereon for surrounding said printing types and engaging the latter when supported on said base plate, saidmovable side wall means including bar-shaped per= 9 If'the set-up type matter rality of printing types enclosed by side'retaining walls of said central portion, said lateral portions resting on said base plate and supporting between them said central portion in spaced relation with respect to said base plate, said central portion being magnetized in a transverse direction throughout the length thereof and forming in said lateral portions poles of opposed polarity, to thereby magnetically secure said side wall means in contact with said printing types and lock the latter: in

position on said base plate.

3. A method of holding and retaining printing types on a base plate, comprising the steps of placing a plurality of printing types enclosed by side retaining walls on a flat surface of a base plate formed of ferromagnetic material to expose at least some of said side retaining.

walls, thereafter applying magnetic locking means to each of said exposed side retaining walls at a point remote from the edges of said side retaining Walls and also to said flat surface of said base plate in the region adjacent said sideretaining walls to releasably secure'said -printing types in a predetermined position on said'base plate.

4. A method of holding and retaining printing types" on abaseplate; comprising the steps of placing'a pluon a fiat surface of a" base plate formed of ferromagnetic material and remote from the edges of said base plate a to completely expose said side retaining walls, theremanent magnetic means seated on said base plate and" each engaging only one of said side wall means for maintaining the latter in engagement with said printing types due to magneticattraction between said base plate and said magnetic means. 9

2. A device for holding and locking in position printing types arranged in rectangular form on a base plate having ferromagnetic properties, the improvement com prising a plurality of elongated side wall means resting on said base plate, each of said side wall means ex- 7 tending along and in contact with one side of said printing types, and magnetic bar means extending parallel to andin abutting relation'with said side wall means on said base plate, saidmagnetic. bar means including a centrally extending bar-shaped permanent'magnetic por-' "tion and two lateral portions extending on opposite sides after applying magnetic locking means to each of said exposed side retaining walls and to said flat surface of said base plate in the region adjacent said side retaining walls to releasably secure said printing typesin any predetermined position on said base plate.

5. A method of holding and retaining printing types I on a base plate, comprising the steps of placing a plurality' of printing types enclosed by side retaining walls on a flat surface of a base plate formed of ferromagnetic material and remote from the edges of said base plate to completelyexpos'e'said side retaining walls, thereafter; applying magnetic locking means magnetized'in a transverse direction with respect to the'length thereof to each of said exposed side retaining walls and to said flat sur-; face of said base plate in the region adjacent said side. retaining walls, thereby releasably securing said printing types in any predetermined position on said base plate.

due to a series of continuous transversely directed magnetic flux paths extending the'length of said magnetic locking means and through said base plate to thus magn'etically link the respective magnetic locking means only to said side retaining walls and the region of'said base plate adjacent said side retaining walls.

References-Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

